Four decades ago, few people would have thought that Prong would still be around today, including the band’s founder and front man Tommy Victor. Yet somehow through the trials and tribulations (lineup and label changes, and even a breakup in the late 90s), this band has maintained its place in the upper echelon of hard rock and metal even despite maybe not being as well-known as many of its contemporaries. The band’s brand-new, self-titled album (its 14th overall and first for current label home Napalm Records), however, is a clear example of why this band remains as strong as ever if not better than ever. Over the course of its 13 total tracks, which run roughly 45 minutes, Prong brings so much to the table both musically and lyrically. From the sociopolitical commentary that makes up the majority of the album’s lyrical body to the varied musical styles and sounds presented throughout, the whole makes Prong not only one of Prong’s best records to date (if not its best to date) but also one of this year’s definite best new hard rock and metal albums.
Prong, the brand-new eponymous album from its namesake, is easily the band’s best work to date. As noted, that is due in part to its musical body. From its opener to its finale, audiences get such a wide range of sounds and styles, both familiar and “new” so to speak. The album’s official finale, ‘Our Continuance,’ for instance, clearly throws back to the band’s landmark 1996 album, Rude Awakening, in its semi-industrial approach while ‘The Uprising,’ one of the record’s earlier entries, takes listeners back to the days of Prove You Wrong, reaching even further back in the band’s catalog. ‘The Banner,’ which opens the album and also served as the record’s lead single, is a powerful Slayer type thrash work that also honestly takes listeners back to the band’s thrash style work from its 1990 album, Beg To Differ. The same applies to the album’s latest single, ‘New Commission’ and ‘Proportionate Response.” The key here is that all three songs show such a clear evolution of that thrash sound that is also so much “cleaner” and “focused” where the songs featured in Beg To Differ were “rawer” for lack of better wording.
On yet another note, the late entry, ‘Transgression’ could actually be compared to early works from Fear Factory (believe it or not) what with the intense guitar arrangement, the drums and Victor’s own vocal delivery. It is an interesting work all its own.
As if all of that is not enough, ‘Fear The Sun’ could be just as easily compared to the songs featured in Rude Awakening, just honed even more thanks to legendary producer Andy Sneap, who produced this entire record. That will be addressed shortly. All in all what audiences get in this record, musically speaking, is a presentation that offers a solid blend of familiarity and growth that is sure to impress every listener.
Getting back to Sneap’s work, it fully deserves its own attention. As noted already, the compositions featured throughout this record bring out the absolute best of Prong on every level. They are the “cleanest” and most “focused” that Tommy Victor has ever sounded regardless of the musicians joining him for the album. Knowing Sneap’s resume, there is no denying his impact herein. He clearly played a notable role in fine tuning every arrangement and bringing out the best all each work as well as the musicians. The result of Sneap’s work is an album that is sure to be remembered as one of Prong’s best if not its best, again.
Understanding everything already noted here, there is still one positive to note, that being the album’s lyrical content. Throughout the course of the album’s run, the themes focus primarily on familiar sociopolitical commentary. Case in point is ‘Uncertain Truth.’ The song focuses on how people “cope with” trying to know what is truth and what is misinformation. This is clearly inferred as Victor sings here, “Attached to belief/Uncertainty a burden/You know it’s just a diversion/You know the truth is uncertain/Honest with what’s fruitful/Can never know what is a fact/Knowledge of what’s fruitful/Just to keep your mind intact.” This is a message that resonates loud and clear especially considering what is still going on right here in the United States today.
On a related note, ‘Proportionate Response’ is another prime example of the importance of the album’s lyrical body. In the case of this song, Victor voices the anger and frustration that we all feel as to everything going on (E.g. the illegal ice raids and police brutality, etc.) but reminds in his own way that two wrongs do not make one right. Victor infers this right from the song’s outset as he sings, “No weakness/Calculate the loss/Retribution for their attitude/Payment for their voice/the treatment/Retaliate with force/Understand the magnitude/The importance of it all/We have to answer with proportionate response/No forgiveness/Loyal to our cause/For the cause/Our cause/Equal vengeance/Equal rights/Different voices/Different minds.” Again, this is that frustration that so many of us feel at all of the band things happening, but as Victor is trying to point out, that blind rage we often feel can actually be dangerous. To that end it works with the song’s musical arrangement to easily be one of the best of this album’s entries.
On a directly related note, ‘Doomed World’ takes on this world that has become so divided. From people’s unwillingness to accept diversity, to humans’ very unwillingness to even try to get along despite our differences, the song serves as an indictment of the whole human race for all intents and purposes. Victor makes that clear as he sings, “Why can’t we see/That it’s all in vain/Our unacceptance is to blame/We’re just a part of a larger plan/Simply stop all of the demands.” This leaves no doubt as to the song’s message. It is yet another message that is certain to resonate with audiences, furthering the impact of the record. When it and the other lyrics examined here are considered along with the rest of the album’s lyrical body, the whole shows the important role of that element herein. When the overall lyrical body of Prong is considered along with the album’s musical body (and the production thereof), that whole makes Prong that much more memorable and successful. The whole leaves Prong unquestionably one of Prong’s best albums to date, if not its best and one of this year’s top new hard rock and metal albums.
Prong is available now. More information on the album is available along with all of Prong’s latest news at:
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